Descent & Rescue Procedures: Total Length 144m

Meridian's Benmore hydro station is helping power around 298,000 New Zealand homes daily. It is located on New Zealand's largest manmade lake – Lake Benmore and is New Zealand's largest earth dam. 

The hydro station's 6 penstocks require a Penstock Inspection team to must be able to safety enter and exit the penstocks and be capable of conducting a rescue in the case of a medical emergency. These skills require training.

Vertical Horizonz Trainer Sel Lo Tam delivered training to the Penstock Inspection team onsite at the Benmore Dam and focused on the below:

• Safe ways to enter at the top headgate and exit at the scroll case below. 
• Efficient means of ascending/descending within the Penstock when conducting closer inspections of tube
• Conducting a rescue in the event of a medical emergency 

The training was delivered against NZQA Unit Standards: 

17599 Plan a confined space entry
18426 Demonstrate knowledge of hazards associated with confined spaces
15757 Use, install and disestablish temporary proprietary height safety systems when working at height
23229 Use safety harness system when working at height
25510 Operate an atmospheric testing device to determine a suitable atmosphere exists to work safely
23232 Develop a rescue plan for recovery of a suspended individual after a fall

Together, the Meridian and Vertical Horizonz teams worked with their knowledge and equipment to set up systems and processes that were safe, simplistic and within the realms of the relevant best practice guidelines and standards.